Water Graffiti Wall Lights Up When Sprayed With Liquid

Antonin Fourneau, a French digital artist announced a collaboration with faucet maker Grohe on new products. To mark the occasion at a New York City event in Grohe’s showroom, Fourneau brought his water graffiti wall and let visitors create some of their own artwork (hydro tagging?). PSFK spoke with Fourneau who eplained that the original inspiration for the project came on a trip to China where he witnessed a man painting on the sidewalk with water.

The digital version uses a a grid of LED lights each surrounded by a star shaped metal conductor. When water touched the conductor is completes the circuit and the bulb will light up. As the water dries, the lights dim and eventually turn off.

Pretty much anything that can distribute water can be used on the wall. At the NYC event, Fourneau provided foam brushes, spray cans and sponges. But even finger painting on the wall with water is possible. For outdoor installations in the past, whole buckets of water have been thrown at the wall. With a large crowd, it is interesting to see the content of the wall chance quickly over time.

Fourneau mentioned to us that he is working on a 2.0 version of the wall that will be able to display full motion video which can be ‘painted in’ with water. Check out this video showing the wall being fabricated and used: